This Manual Can Opener is a Turn above the Rest – Kitchen Essentials

Mar 30, 2021 by Chef David

By Chef David

Anyone preparing for Passover—or any important meal for that matter—should realize the value of having a good can opener readily on hand. After all, it’s a basic and elemental kitchen tool, and while it is not necessarily expensive, a poor-quality can opener that is either difficult to turn or doesn’t get a lid off easily can quickly lead to kitchen frustration.

I was, therefore, delighted to discover the Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Master Opener, a manual can opener that cuts around the perimeter of the can. The result is smooth, rather than sharp and dangerous edges. The Kuhn Rikon can opener allows the lid to be tossed into the garbage where it will not slice through a bag or create a risk to fingers, whether they belong to children or adults.

Unlike rotary cutters that work on the side of the can, the Kuhn Rikon sits on top of the can and the pressure is applied below the top. This allows the can opener to stay clean. Unless the device is dropped into the can, it will not touch anything inside. It certainly makes cooking more sanitary.

When the knob is turned clockwise, the opener locks onto the can. After a complete rotation around the can, the opener disengages, and the lid can be removed with a quick clockwise twist.

Visually, the can appears to be intact. In fact, because the opener does not slice through the metal lid, the user might wonder if the can is indeed open. Yes, it is. However, it requires a little pressure to remove the lid, which might be somewhat counterintuitive when first using the tool. Luckily, the manufacturers planned for this with the inclusion of mini-pliers, which they refer to as “a beak.” The beak allows the user easily to grab and remove the lid.

What I Looked For

When evaluating the Kuhn Rikon manual can opener, I took three principles into consideration:

1. Ease of operation: Too many can openers require a herculean effort to turn. Some detach before the can is open, while others cut through some of the metal, leaving pieces of the can intact. Some can openers just don’t easily attach to the can at all.
2. Safety: Does the lid come off easily? Does the opener leave sharp edges? Is there anyone who hasn’t ever been cut on jagged or rough edges when trying to pry a lid off a can? Too many can openers produce metal shavings, which can find their way into the food.
3. Cleanliness: Is it easy to clean the can opener? Some openers actually touch the contents of the can; others accumulate residue and are difficult to clean.

Ingenious Device

The invention of the can opener came along with the invention of the can, which appeared in France as a necessity of war. In the early 1800s, a Parisian candy-maker, Nicholas Appert, designed an airtight container out of glass, and Napoleon used it to keeps his troops fed. An Englishmen, Peter Durand, did Appert one better and fashioned similar containers out of tin, which could be sealed and made airtight, but was not breakable.

In the United States, the first cans were made of heavy iron with tin linings. Opening them required cutting around at the top with a chisel and hammer. 

When iron cans were replaced by tin in 1858, the American-inventor, Ezra Warner, designed a pointed blade that was shaped like a bayonet-and-sickle. The bayonet part was pressed into the can, and the metal guard kept it from penetrating too far. The sickle part was forced into the can, and the operator then sawed it around the edge.

This was not a tool for domestic use, mostly because it was too dangerous. It was used by the Union Army during the Civil War but was not popular with consumers because it left a dangerous jagged edge. Grocers opened customers’ cans before they left the store.

Twelve years later, another American inventor, William Lyman, came up with the first rotating-wheel can opener, and, in the 1920s, it evolved into the classic toothed-wheel crank design still in use today.

Dream-Come-True Gadget

Some 95 years ago, Kuhn Rikon Switzerland was born in a country known for high-quality products. The family firm was founded by Heinrich Kuhn and his son, Jacques, inventors who were determined to recreate products that affect cooking.

Thirty-three years ago, Kuhn Rikon USA began introducing products, including the Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Master Opener, a can opener that challenges the traditional off-the-lid-method.

The main benefit of the Kuhn Rikon can opener is its safety level. It prevents sharp edges on the lid and the can, making it family-friendly. Another benefit: It works equally well for righties and lefties.

The latest model includes a few nifty gadgets, including one that can be used to lift pull-tabs. Others loosen jar tops, twist-off caps, and open bottles. This tool just might be the dream-come-true for gadget-lovers everywhere.

I admit, when I first tried to use the can opener, the design confused me. I needed to read the directions, but when I did, I quickly became convinced that I would never go back to any other kind of can opener.